Clock winding down on SouthField proposal as negotiations continue with Weymouth mayor

Wednesday

Jun 11, 2014 at 6:00 AMJun 11, 2014 at 8:10 AM

Christian Schiavone The Patriot Ledger @CSchiavo_Ledger

WEYMOUTH – A week.

Two weeks.

The end of the month.

The deadline for a proposed sweeping overhaul of the stalled SouthField project to win support from town leaders and make it to Beacon Hill varies depending on who you ask. But they agree that time is very quickly running out.

It’s been more than a month since the project’s master developer, Starwood Land Ventures, began closed-door negotiations with Weymouth Mayor Susan Kay and a team of lawyers representing each side. Both sides say they’re close, but with few details emerging publicly, some local and state officials say the window is closing.

“We’re definitely up against the clock, there’s no doubt about that,” the president of Weymouth’s town council, Patrick O’Connor, said. “I think this week is critical, as far as the legislation goes.”

SouthField is the new community being built on the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. It includes land in Weymouth, Rockland and Abington.

Starwood wants the Legislature to approve by July 31 changes to the project that include slashing authority from its quasi-governmental overseer, South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp., and shifting responsibility for public services to the three towns. Each town would also be able to collect property taxes on its section of the property.

The developer has said it could walk off the project if that deadline isn’t met.

The town council in Weymouth has repeatedly listed updates from the mayor and the town’s attorneys on its meeting agendas in recent weeks, only to postpone the discussion after Kay said she’s not yet ready to present her report.

Kay said she’s conscious of the timeline. But she said she’s not ready to sign off on anything until the two sides settle on a separate document spelling out protections for the town. She declined to elaborate further, citing the ongoing negotiations.

“I want it off my desk, trust me,” she said. “But that is no reason to agree to something that may create risks for the town or doesn’t minimize those risks.”

Starwood Vice President Matthew Barry could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Starwood says the changes it wants would result in a cash windfall for the Weymouth, though town officials have questioned the company’s numbers.

In the Legislature, House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, said once the legislation is filed, lawmakers will have to do their own review, which will take weeks, as the Legislature enters one of its busiest periods with formal sessions winding down for the year.

“There’s a limit to how fast people can work and that’s the limit we’re dealing with,” he said. “If we get it by the end of June, there’s hope.”

After the formal session ends, the Legislature goes into informal session where attendance drops and any member can block passage of a bill.

Mariano said he hasn’t yet read the Starwood proposal because it’s not yet finalized. But he said some provisions, including asking the state to take over the cost of finishing a new roadway across SouthField, could be a tough sell for lawmakers.

Rockland’s town meeting voted last month to urge lawmakers not to approve anything without their say-so. Abington town meeting has yet to vote on it.

Christian Schiavone may be reached at cschiavone@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @CSchiavo_Ledger.